Have parties but no bonfire on Nov 5, says 'killjoy' council

By Stewart Payne

12:01AM BST 22 Oct 2005

A council has been labelled "killjoys" and "sad" after urging residents not to have family Guy Fawkes Night bonfires. It wants residents to put material they would have burned into garden composters instead.

The Conservative-led Test Valley council in Hampshire, which covers a mainly rural area around Andover and Romsey, advised its rate-payers yesterday to consider the environmental impact of having bonfires on Nov 5. It suggests attending an organised bonfire party as an alternative.

"Bonfires can cause annoyance to neighbours, and every year the council receives many complaints about bonfire nuisances," it said.

"Bonfires add to the background levels of air pollution, and exposure to smoke can be damaging to health, particularly for people with asthma, bronchitis or heart conditions."

Daniel Busk, a farmer and a member of the council's executive, said he would be ignoring the advice and hoped to have it rescinded.

"This is typical of the nanny state taking all the fun out of life," he said. "This is an absolute joke: bloody stupid, ridiculous. It is much better to burn your leaves in the garden than drive your car somewhere using petrol."

Sandra Gidley, the Liberal Democrat MP for Romsey, said that bonfires on Guy Fawkes Night were "a traditional part of British life".

"What is the world coming to when the borough council tells people not to have bonfires?" she said.

"Some families want small bonfire parties on bonfire night and it is a sad world if a council is saying that cannot happen."